Longfellow s translation made dantes epic, a controversial and difficult work about the depths of human evil and tragedy in the form of a vision of traveling through the afterlife, accessible to a wide american audience from the 1860s through. Divine comedy, longfellows translation, complete by dante. How to read dante in the 21st century the american scholar. The divine comedy of dante allghieri, translated by h. From longfellow s translation of the divine comedy this time, a poignant excerpt as dante meets his muse in longfellow s victorian version of the great medieval allegory carol rumens. English translations of dantes divine comedy wikipedia. It is a discourse on the role of reason in faith and the individual in society.
I have a shelf devoted to dante, but as of today, i give the nod to jean and robert hollander for their rather recent translations. This is a volume from the first authorized edition of henry wadsworth longfellow. The poems imaginative vision of the afterlife is representative of the. The first edition of longfellows poetic translation of the divine comedy, with accompanying notes.
He was also the first american to translate dante alighieris the divine comedy. The 15 translations are those of ciaran carson, john ciardi, anthony esolen, robert and jean hollander, robin kirkpatrick, stanley lombardo, henry. The divine comedy by dante alighieri free pdf ebook holy books. You can also read the full text online using our ereader. He produced one of the first complete, and in many respects still the best, english translations of the divine comedy in 1867. The divine comedy dante alighieri 1265 21, translated by henry wadsworth longfellow 1807 1882 a culmination of the medieval worldview of the afterlife, it establishes the tuscan dialect in which it is written as the italian standard, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature. Whats the best way to read the divine comedy if you dont. I suppose you could find the entire translation there. It is a hard thing to speak of, how wild, harsh and impenetrable that wood was, so that thinking of it recreates the fear. The divine comedy first edition of longfellow s translation 1867. Which is the best englishlanguage translation of dante. Librivox recording of the divine comedy, by dante alighieri. The lack of english translations before this is due in part to dantes catholic views being distasteful, or at least. The divine comedy is the precursor of modern literature, and this translation decades in the making gives us the entire epic as a single, coherent and compulsively listenable lyric poem.
Pdf of the current document pdf of entire workbook epub of the current document epub of entire workbook note. Purgatorio is the second volume in this set and opens with dante the poet picturing dante the pilgrim coming out of the pit of hell. But perhaps the most neglected one is the battered volumes i found on ebay, translated by henry wadsworth longfellow. Inferno, blank verse translation by henry francis cary 1814 inferno, blank terzine translation by henry wadsworth longfellow 1867 this work is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. Henry wadsworth longfellow is a publication of the pennsylvania state university. The divine comedy by dante alighieri free pdf ebook. Divine comedy, longfellows translation, paradise isbn. Divine comedy, longfellow s translation, hell by dante alighieri free ebook project gutenberg.
Henry wadsworth longfellow 27 february 1807 24 march 1882 henry wadsworth was an american poet and educator whose works include paul reveres ride, the song of hiawatha, and evangeline. This acclaimed book by dante alighieri is available at in several formats for your ereader. Divine comedy, longfellows translation, complete by dante alighieri. Dantes purgatorio the divine comedy, volume ii, purgatory translated by henry wadsworth longfellow with an introduction by william warren vernon and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In some cases, the meaning of certain passages is rendered quite differently depending on which version you choose.
This is why one of the few truly successful english translations comes from henry wadsworth longfellow, a professor of italian at harvard and an acclaimed poet. The divine comedy, finished by dante alighieri in 20, is one of the most famous literary works of all time, and its author is considered the father of the italian language. This presentation traces the historical circumstances of longfellow s dante club and its impact on the formation of the dante society of america and american readership of dantes divine comedy. Here i want to expand that exercise, comparing 15 different translations in a more systematic way. In the middle of the journey of our life, i came to myself, in a dark wood, where the direct way was lost. Divine comedy, longfellows translation, complete ebook by. The divine comedy translated by henry wadsworth longfellow. The divine comedy by dante alighieri is an epic poem written between 8 and his death in 21.
Divine comedy, purgatory longfellow s translation select an option. Any person using this document file, for any purpose, and in any way does so at his or her own risk. Fifteen translations of dante compared boisterous beholding. The divine comedy is not a comedy at all, the title commedia refers to the fact that the journey starts from hell and ends with dantes visit to heaven and meeting with god and understanding of the mystery of reincarnation. Divine comedy, longfellows translation, purgatory by dante alighieri. Illustrated edition of the divine comedy since no translation can be exact, each translation by longfellow, cary and norton is different in style, word choices, and diction. The divine comedy is a poem in which dante views himself as a pilgrim, representative of all. I have a number of translations of dantes the divine comedy in my home among them the translations of charles singleton, dorothy l. The divine comedy dante alighieri english pdf epub kindle.
Theirs is the one that keeps coming up when looking for a good verse translation. Free books of italian literature in english, pdf, epub, mobi, fb2. If youve already downloaded the first 2 parts, feel free to redownload them, as the final versions are extended, with few mistakes corrected, plus with an enhanced layout. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. The finest translation of the divine comedy by dante alighieri is by henry wadsworth longfellow. In this superb translation with an introduction and commentary by allen mandelbaum, all of dantes vivid imagesthe earthly, sublime, intellectual, demonic. The divine comedy by dante aligheri was translated into french and spanish and other european languages well before it was first translated into english. The divine comedy by dante, illustrated pdf free download. This is the translation at the center of the plot of the recent bestseller the dante club.
In fact the first english translation was only completed in 1802, almost 500 years after dante wrote his italian original. This portable document file is furnished free and without any charge of any kind. The world of dante what are considered the best translations of dantes divine comedy. Ive opted to go with the robert and jean hollander translation. Divine comedy, longfellows translation, purgatory by dante. In my last post i compared john ciardi and allen mandelbaums translation of the inferno by looking at how they handled canto xxvi, lines 112120. The work is written in the first person, and tells of dantes journey. Commedia, later christened divina by giovanni boccaccio, written by dante alighieri between 8 and his death in 21, is widely considered the central epic poem of italian literature, the last great work of literature of the middle ages and the first great. The divine comedy first edition of longfellow s translation 1867 dante alighieri, henry wadsworth longfellow on. Allen mandelbaum divine comedy pdf download download allen mandelbaum divine comedyallen mandelbaum divine comedy pdfallen mandelbaum divine comedy epuballen.
The base text for this edition has been provided by digital dante, a project sponsored by columbia universitys institute for. Dante alighieri divine comedy, purgatorio 5 to take the mount by easier ascent. This book is available for free download in a number of formats including epub, pdf, azw, mobi and more. Sayers in the late 1940s, had gone for a strict linebyline translation of the divine comedy, and ended up with a work that sounded stilted to the english ear, lacking.
The divine comedy changed my life, and it may do the same to you. It is widely considered to be the preeminent work in italian literature and one of the greatest works of world literature. Bringing dante into the realm of contemporary english. It did not hurt that longfellow had also experienced the. Digital dante offers original research and ideas on dante. Complete dante alighieris divine comedy in pdf 3 books. Longfellow hardback by henry wadsworth longfellow, dante alighieri and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In the inferno, it is well known, dante singled out corrupt leaders and political enemies, but the. See also the conspectus and index for this edition. Written in the early 14th century and completed in 21, the year of dantes death, the divine comedy is perhaps the greatest work of epic poetry ever. Dante alighieris poetic masterpiece, the divine comedy, is a moving human drama, an unforgettable visionary journey through the infinite torment of hell, up the arduous slopes of purgatory, and on to the glorious realm of paradisethe sphere of universal harmony and eternal salvation. The divine comedy embraces the celestial and the terrestrial, the mythological and the historical, the practical and the ethical. Divine comedy longfellow 1867 wikisource, the free online library.